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Members of Exeter University's Centre for South West Writing (SWW) have collaborated with authors, scholars, musicians, archivists, museum staff, private businesses, public councils, and tourist organisations to enhance public understanding of the cultural heritage of the South West of England and its distinctive literary traditions. Much of their research is archival and has reached audiences via publications, conferences, concerts, festivals, lectures, blogs, exhibitions, and the commissioning of public monuments. The main impacts of their research have been to:
Joan Beal's research on dialect and identity has had far-reaching educational impact. Her publications are widely used in other HEIs (both in the UK and abroad) and in secondary school teaching, with economic benefits for publishers. She has also influenced curriculum reform through her consultancy for AQA, the largest provider of academic qualifications for 14-19 year olds in the UK. Beyond education, her role as a media commentator and as a consultant for the British Library Sociolinguistics & Education department has led to greater public understanding of the significance, and persistence, of dialect as a means of constructing and expressing identity.
The members of the Nationalism and National Identity group at the University of Edinburgh have successfully brought their research into the public domain in Scotland, the UK and internationally, influencing the `public conversations' concerning nationalism and national identity. For example, in November 2008, group member David McCrone was named in the Scotsman newspaper as one of 12 'academics [who] are helping to shape our political future'. Other evidence of impact includes:
Through a series of well-established knowledge exchange partnerships, Leicester historians have enabled heritage organisations to identify a research agenda to inform their strategy, create innovative tourist information resources for historic sites in the UK, and manage the transition of these resources from paper to digital media. The cumulative impact of their contribution has been to extend the global reach of these organisations, to improve the quality of visitor experiences of the historic places they manage, to increase footfall and revenues at historic sites, and to develop — and realise — new pathways for economic growth by increasing demand for and strategic investment in heritage-based tourism.
Politics staff at Cardiff University (Wincott, Wyn Jones and Scully), working in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Edinburgh (Jeffery and Henderson) and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), have conducted research on changing political identities and constitutional attitudes in England. This work has had a substantial impact on public debates about the place of England and Englishness within the United Kingdom; had a direct impact upon the McKay Commission report; and also influenced the constitutional thinking of the Labour party.
This impact emerges from the Sunderland English team's longstanding reputation for civic engagement. Research for this was initiated by North East Irish Culture Network (NEICN), and the Spectral Visions project developed in response to demand from local schools, colleges (AQA syllabus) and the wider community. The impact includes educational benefits to non- university students whose grades were enhanced due to the research disseminated. Follow-up educational packs were circulated to interested schools and have been used to augment pre- university work on Gothic literature and culture. Several attending colleges have been inspired to set up a network for Gothic studies.
Politics staff at the University of Edinburgh (Henderson and Jeffery), working in collaboration with colleagues at Cardiff University and the Institute for Public Policy Research, have conducted research (2007-13) on changing political identities and constitutional attitudes in England. This work has informed public debates about the place of England and Englishness within the United Kingdom; has shaped the findings of the McKay Commission; and has influenced the constitutional thinking of the Labour party.
This case study in the history of British regional and urban culture demonstrates research impact that is an extension of the unit's longstanding commitment to benefitting regional and local constituencies. The impact extends to non-academic audiences locally, regionally and nationally. It has formed the basis of local collaborations with organisations that are prominent in curating Teesside's industrial and post-industrial heritage. Its local impact has also exemplified the unit's strong interaction with local and community history groups. The findings of Vall's underpinning research into the history of British regional and urban culture has also engaged local and national audiences through radio and television features and documentaries addressing regional identity and industrial heritage. This research has helped to raise public awareness of the specific challenges attached to the promotion of creative economies in industrial regions. Moreover, it has benefitted local people by revealing and contextualising the complexity and diversity of contemporary regional industrial heritage.
Research findings inform lectures delivered to educators in English in the local region: both serving teachers and their pupils (Further Education) and PGCE Secondary English students undertaking their school placements locally, and often gaining employment within the Midlands. The impact is in how the teachers use literary texts to engage more effectively with their pupils regarding notions of race and `Otherness'; to develop a tolerant attitude towards those perceived as different; and to be cognisant of the pitfalls in teaching `texts from different cultures and traditions', as stipulated by the English National Curriculum, which might reinforce wider social discourses of `Otherness' around race.
Peter Mandler's The English National Character: The History of an Idea from Edmund Burke to Tony Blair (2006) aimed to raise the level of public discourse about `national identity' and especially `Englishness'. It has been widely taken up in the media for its authoritative explanations of both the historical specificity of many allegedly eternal understandings of Englishness and the historical processes by which national stereotypes in general are developed.